Spring Awakening: Why it was a success

I would recommend this musical to any college student because it includes catchy songs that convey important messages that everyone can relate to throughout their journey as an adolescent.

Last December Fisher’s drama club, Fisher Players, began preparing for the premiere of the Spring 2017 musical Spring Awakening. Under the direction of student Caterina Vongprachanh, the crew produced three shows for the public on April 21, 22 and 23.

Spring Awakening is made for a mature audience because several scenes contain mature content such as sexual acts and adult language. The intense dramatic scenes were balanced well with comedic relief. The use of comedy to communicate serious messages was a strategic way to convey heavy ideas to a younger audience.

The musical is about the journey of finding one’s place in the world, either sexually, academically, or spiritually. Explicit scenes included masturbation, non consensual sex and also songs that are heavily focused on swearing. This story about life is best suitable for those who are not sensitive about this particular type of content.

One scene that caught the audience’s attention was a sexual encounter between Mackenzie Burke as the main character Wendla and Mitch Lalik as Melchior. Intimacy and love was not shared between the two actresses because Wendla did not fully consent to sex. This uncomfortable scene shows how crucial full consent is for and type of sexual activity.

Scenes similar to the encounter between Wendla and Melchior introduce situations that people normally like to avoid discussing. The acting convinced me that such explicit actions need to be addressed on campus, rather than ignored or only addressed a few times. However, I felt as if the play sent a message to those subjected to such abuse: victims can come forward and entrust in someone.

I am always excited to see Fisher Players perform, especially when it is a unique musical like this. Everyone involved with Fisher Players, including the stage and lighting crew, and the pit band, truly made the musical come to life. A dynamic crew can make any musical greater than the last.

Note from the editor: A particular scene described as “non-consensual sex” in the article is of the opinion of the writer, while Director Caterina Vongprachanh said the scene was intended as consensual sex.